Selecting glass color palette and preparing glass

Our first step in physically assembling the panels was to get the materials needed to do so. We used Delphi glass and spent an afternoon exploring the various colors of glass on their website, considering what types and colors would look the best together. We decided on using a mix of transparent and more opaque glass to better give a sense of the light shining through the water, gleaming off the fish scales, and hitting the solid rocks at the bottom.

Once the glass arrived, we spent the first few weeks of the project cutting up all the glass into half-inch tiles, getting familiar with the tools as we went. A few different types of glues were tested for durability, transparency, and weatherability. Eventually silicone was chosen as the best choice.

Utilizing the UWEC Makerspace, we decided to laser engrave the names of the various species of the piece into the glass to add further intrigue and allow viewers to know exactly what cretaure they were looking at. We also added an engraved plaque in honor of our sponsors and the hard work of the artists who created the piece initially.